e him? I hope to entrust him with a special shake of
the hand, to be forwarded to our dear boy (if a hoary sage like myself
may venture on that expression) by the next mail.

I would have proposed the first night, but that is too full. You may
faintly imagine, my venerable friend, the occupation of these also gray
hairs, between "Golden Marys," "Little Dorrits," "Household Wordses,"
four stage-carpenters entirely boarding on the premises, a carpenter's
shop erected in the back garden, size always boiling over on all the
lower fires, Stanfield perpetually elevated on planks and splashing
himself from head to foot, Telbin requiring impossibilities of smart
gasmen, and a legion of prowling nondescripts for ever shrinking in and
out. Calm amidst the wreck, your aged friend glides away on the "Dorrit"
stream, forgetting the uproar for a stretch of hours, refreshes himself
with a ten or twelve miles walk, pitches headforemost into foaming
rehearsals, placidly emerges for editorial purposes, smokes over buckets
of distemper with Mr. Stanfield aforesaid, again calmly floats upon the
"Dorrit" waters.

With very best love to Miss Macready and all the rest,
Ever, my dear Macready, most affectionately yours.

[Sidenote: Miss Power.]

TAVISTOCK HOUSE, _December 15th, 1856._

MY DEAR MARGUERITE,

I am not _quite_ clear about the story; not because it is otherwise than
exceedingly pretty, but because I am rather in a difficult position as
to stories just now. Besides beginning a long one by Collins with the
new year (which will last five or six months), I have, as I always have
at this time, a considerable residue of stories written for the
Christmas number, not suitable to it, and yet available for the general
purposes of "Household Words." This limits my choice for the moment to
stories that have some decided specialties (or a great deal of story) in
them.

But I will look over the accumulation before you come, and I hope you
will never see your little friend again but in print.

You will find us expecting you on the night of the twenty-fourth, and
heartily glad to welcome you. The most terrific preparations are in hand
for the play on Twelfth Night. There has been a carpenter's shop in the
garden for six weeks; a painter's shop in the school-room; a gasfitter's
shop all over the basement; a dressmaker's shop at the top of the house;
a tailor's shop in my dressing